


You Are Protected, In Short

by ReferenceQueen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drarry, Fluff, Gay, M/M, Please be gentle, Wizards, angst? maybe? if i can write it?, gay wizards, i cant tag yet help, this is my first go on ao3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 04:40:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9863039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReferenceQueen/pseuds/ReferenceQueen
Summary: Little oneshots pertaining to everyone's favorite wizard couple.(Any fuckers expecting smut - move along. I can't write that shit for the life of me.)(Also I can't write for shit - I'm just trying to get better.)





	1. Hermione's Observations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little snippets of observations made by our favorite bad bitch Hermy

Hermione noticed that in Eighth Year, Draco and Harry gradually grew closer. Neither of the teens made it a big deal, neither dramatically called the other out and demanded for a truce, neither fiercely confessed their apologies and begged for forgiveness.

Harry and Draco never intentionally sought the other out - not that they really needed to. It seemed that whenever Harry was in need of a friend to calm him down, Draco already knew where to go. If Draco was being bullied by bitter younger years, Harry was always available to stand up against them.

One night, Draco was alone in the Eighth Year common. He seemed fine earlier that day to almost everyone, but Harry would occasionally steal nervous glances at him. After the Eighth Years had retired to their beds, sore from much practical DADA work, Draco had a panic attack.

It was quiet, mostly, so nobody really knew the boy was shaking on the floor, cheeks flooded with tears, gasping for air between sobs, brain frantically thinking he was going to die. It wasn't until Draco let out a loud cry that Harry bolted from his sheets, where he had been unable to fall asleep, to rush to Draco's side and help him calm down.

Hermione snuck quietly down to the common room and, from the shadows, observed as Harry cradled Draco. He soon persuaded Draco to sit up and perform soothing breathing exercises, and in only twenty-five minutes Draco was taking shaky breaths but was mainly fine. "Draco, talk to me," Harry whispered, fingers tracing swirling patterns onto the back of Draco's hand.

Hermione crept back up to her bed, a smile stretched across her tired face.

A few days ago, the Eighth Years hand been practicing charms work, chatting idly and not truly paying as close attention as Professor Flitwick demanded was necessary.

The charm wasn't meant to produce a light. It wasn't meant to create any physical suggestion it had been cast or let out any sound, but somebody had messed up badly.

A green light flashed from the end of Seamus Finnegan's wand, causing the entire class to shriek, wide eyed with fear. For Harry, though, the light was too much to bear. He couldn't face anymore deaths than he had already, and in only a matter of seconds he had fell to the floor, breathing harsh and, as he recalled later, blood pounding harshly in his ears.

Before anyone had thought to make a move to aid the traumatized boy, Draco was bent over him, checking his face and his wrists and his neck just to make sure, to make absolute sure, that he was alive. "Harry, Harry," He coaxed Harry to lean against him and grasped Harry's face in his hands in what could only be described as a worried motherly way, "Everything is fine. Everything is fine. Everyone is fine." Draco continued to repeat these words in a soft, soothing voice until Harry was able to stand and be escorted to Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione and Pansy shared a brief knowing look and resumed their work on the charm.

At mealtimes, or in the common room, or in the classroom, or in the stands overlooking the Quidditch pitch, or anywhere else Draco and Harry happened to be seated near each other, they would always be touching in some way; it seemed to calm them down.

Today at breakfast, for instance, Harry had his knee pressed firmly against Draco's. A week ago, in the library, the two boys were studying in silence, their pinkies were intertwined. Hermione noticed they glanced at them every so often, which caused faint smiles to appear on their tired faces.

Around a month ago, a group of Eighth Years were playing some stupid card game Hermione couldn't bother to remember the name of. Harry had denied the offer to play, and Draco had lost quickly due to poor luck. Draco had scooted himself across the floor towards Harry, who was situated on one of the couches nearest the cheering players. Harry's legs were casually spread apart, and Draco absently sidled between them and leaned his head against one of Harry's knees. Harry didn't mind at all and grinned down at the former Slytherin, all the while playing timidly with strands of his hair.

Hermione was snapped back from watching the unintentionally intimate scene unfolding before her when Ron snapped his fingers in front of her face, explaining it was her move.

As time moved on, the pair grew even more attached to the other, and it became extremely rare to see one without the other.

Both were much less quiet in big groups then they had been at the start of the year. One could always hear Harry teasing Draco about his "poor" Quidditch skills, or Draco ruffling Harry's hair and asking if he'd ever heard of a comb, or other trivial matters of the like.

The pair were mainly referred to as "Draco and Harry", not just one or the other. Whenever an event was being held, someone would ask, "Are Harry and Draco going to show?" If an Eighth Year Quidditch match was being spontaneously held in the middle of the night, you could always count on someone shouting, "Dibs on Draco and Harry!" before an argument would ensue about how that would be totally unfair.

They would walk loudly down the hallways, arms slung sloppily across each other's shoulders, laughing or joking or singing some random tune they had created in a spur of the moment situation. Neville often voiced how he was glad Harry had finally removed himself from his shell once more, but could he please stop singing that bloody song?

But despite the bold front the two shared with other people, they were the most calm and passionate people when just by themselves or with people like Ron, Hermione, or Pansy.

They still always managed to ensure they were always touching in some way, and no one dared comment on it, knowing it was, for whatever reason, extremely important for them and that they would get pink and flustered if it was brought up.

They, meaning Hermione, Ron, and Pansy, who were lately referred to as a trio, had learned this when Ron had been incredibly thick and asked insensitively, "So, are you two dating, now?"

"W-what?" Harry stuttered; Draco glanced down, avoiding anybody's gaze.

"Well, it's just, you're always touching, and-" Ron was cut off by Hermione, who interrupted loudly with questions about the homework, but it was too late: Draco and Harry had scooted awkwardly away from each other, cheeks pink. It didn't take long, however, for them to resume the positions they had been in prior to Ron's remark, and once again their legs were crossed together.

When with the trio, the pair often spoke in whispers to each other and in soft tones to the other three. They were more relaxed, less jittery, less inclined to put on a show.

As the months drew on, Harry and Draco's physical contact grew from merely pinkies being held to arms wrapped around waists. Instead of legs intertwined, they sit on each other's laps, but not in a sexual "kiss me now" way - more in an "I feel secure when I'm near you so please wrap your arms around me" way. Draco would, when just in the presence of the trio, allow Harry to place his head in Draco's lap, either reading or gazing back up. Other times, Harry would bury his face in Draco's hair, which saw little to no hair gel these days, and hum against his scalp.

It was late January when Harry brought Draco's knuckles to his lips in a soothing kiss during a study session. Draco seemed surprised, but the heated blush evident on his pale skin displayed he hadn't minded the affection at all.

Hermione, glancing at the two out of he corner of her eye, felt her lips tremble as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She wasn't upset - Merlin knows she could never be. She was emotional because Harry had found happiness after the war, something she and Ron weren't sure would happen. It took a harsh glance from Pansy to keep her from throwing her arms around Harry and Draco and sobbing.

Come Spring, when it was especially sunny and breezy outside, Harry and Draco would walk the grounds in each other's company. Pansy and Hermione would sometimes watch the boys, certain that this was the most genuine form of love they would ever come across.

"That's creepy of you two." Ron would remind them, and with reluctance they would return their attention to a game of chess or a book.

As the final month of their final school year at Hogwarts came around, Harry and Draco, under the begged secrecy after having been found out by the trio, had begun sharing a bed.

Pansy had woken up one morning and moved to retrieve Draco from his bed, but had not expected to see him snuggled into Harry's bare chest.

Harry and Draco weren't embarrassed - why would they be - but they had preferred for the rest of the school not to be knowledgeable about their newfound sleeping arrangements, so the trio gladly obliged to keep it hidden.

Sometimes, during free periods, Draco and Harry would disappear within the castle. Ron advocated that they were going to the next step, "-if you know what I mean-", which Pansy would only further press by wiggling her eyebrows absurdly.

Hermione, however, after observing the steady development of the boys' relationship, disagreed. She knew the most scandalous thing they could be getting up to is planning a grand prank to play on the teachers. "Besides," she counter-argued, "their relationship isn't like that. They're slow and reserved, and I think some strong action like that would frighten one of them off, if not both."

During one of these disappearances, the trio had decided to track the boys down, finally curious enough to demand to know what was going on.

After much searching, as well as swearing from Ron, they came to the Astronomy Tower. The door was wide open, which made it all the more easier for the trio to enter and observe the happenings under Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

Sat on the floor was Harry, hair ruffling in the slight breeze drifting from the balcony. On his lap was Draco, who was turned so that his chest was pressed to Harry's chest and his cheek pressed to Harry's cheek. They boys were sitting in silence. Harry's hands were clasped behind the small of Draco's back; Draco's arms were wrapped around Harry's neck.

The two assumed each other's company in comfortable silence until Harry whispered something delicately into Draco's ears.

Draco's face was faintly tinged with pink, and he moved his head so that he was face to face with Harry, and his gaze was so intense that it practically hypnotized Harry.

Slowly, as if unsure, Draco closed the gap between their lips, which elicited an almost inaudible yet thrilled gasp from Pansy.

Harry's embrace around Draco was tightened as Draco pulled back, eyes fluttering open to meet Harry's. The smile on Harry's face could probably cure spattergroit, Ron later informed over a casual meet-up between the five friends a few years after Hogwarts.

Harry's eyes brimmed with tears, and he let out a shaky laugh before pushing himself slightly upward to reconnect with Draco's lips, and when Draco sighed in pleasure the trio mentally agreed it was time to end their snoop session and leave their friends to finally grasp the extreme intimacy they had both been craving for years.


	2. Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which McGonagall isn't the only one who screams at Harry's "dead" body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhhhhhh it sucks oops #no regerts

He waited. Any moment, the people for whom he had tried to die would see him, lying apparently dead, in Hagrid's arms. "NO!" The scream was the more terrible because he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound.

And yet another screech still rung through the courtyard, and it was not of his beloved friends or teachers - it was of Draco Malfoy, and Harry cracked his eyes open just enough to see the boy, pale face covered in grime and soot, clothing tattered and torn, eyes wide, unblinking, and un-moving from where Harry lay against Hagrid's chest.

Harry was not the only one shocked by this development - he saw the crowd of Hogwarts students and teachers and warriors glance briefly at him in surprise and heard whispering from the followers of Voldemort. Hagrid grunted out in confusion as Draco screamed again.

This time, he curled in on himself as if punched in the gut, his hair spiked in every direction. His head was bowed as he continued to wail, and it seemed that time itself had stopped along with the divided crown to watch this broken boy.

In an instant, his head snapped up and in his red-rimmed eyes Harry could see a cold fury, a burning hatred such as none he had ever seen before - and it was directed at Voldemort himself. His chest was heaving and he let out one more yell as he lifted his arm, bursts of light streaking from the tip of his wand, hex after hex after jinx after curse directed toward Voldemort, toward the Death Eaters, towards his parents, each one deflected with ease, his choppy sobs punctuating each flick of his wrist. Finally, as the rest of Hogwarts began to follow his lead, Harry tumbled down from Hagrid's arms, accompanied by scattered gasps.

Draco had by now fallen to the ground among piles of rubble and bodies, shuddering every-so-often, apparently unaware that the Golden Boy was not, in fact, dead and had witnessed his show.

Harry, in his rush to lure Voldemort into the Great Hall, raced past him and tripped over his foot. Both boys locked eyes for a brief moment - 

"Potter!"

"Malfoy."

\- before Harry scrambled up, Draco a moment behind, and the two parted ways to help win the war.


End file.
